Getting Started with Holistic Fertility Treatment

Posted on Apr 5, 2010 12:00am PDT

Perhaps the most common question we get at the Moon is “where should I start?” Women and couples are interested in doing everything they can to increase their odds of conceiving. But among all the services available – nutrition counseling, acupuncture, yoga for fertility and massage – where to begin? For the answer to this question, stay tuned to our blog this week as we discuss the different treatments we offer at Pulling Down the Moon and who will best benefit from these treatments.

The most important thing to recognize, though, is that using holistic treatment for fertility requires your participation. Unlike a medical regimen, where you simply follow the directions your doctor provides, holistic treatment asks you to become involved in identifying and correcting physical, mental and emotional imbalances in your life. In a sense, these treatments require you to be part of the treatment team. This is true even if you are also using medical fertility treatments in addition to holistics.

The other point to make about holistic therapy is that it can take some time to work. Treatments like acupuncture have shown short-term benefit (as few as two acupuncture treatments have been shown to increase IVF success rates), but studies using a longer treatment time frame actually have much more impressive results. Nutrition changes can also be effective immediately, especially in terms of improving gut function, but other more long-term effects (potential improvement in egg or sperm quality, reduced inflammation, ovulation induction in PCOS) can take several months to achieve. We feel great for a few hours after yoga or a massage – but longer term practice of these modalities actually leads to a lasting calm in which our body and mind can begin to heal themselves.

So what’s right for you? Stay tuned to our blog this week for a deeper exploration of what holistic fertility techniqes are right for you. Also, feel free to post your questions. We’ve got experts standing by.